A medical doctor and 28-year veteran of Congress, Ron Paul ran for President before - in 1988, as the Libertarian Party's candidate.
Ronald Earnest Paul was born in 1935 in Green Tree, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. His parents immigrated to the US from Germany.
Paul received his undergraduate degree from Gettysburg College and graduated from Duke University’s School of Medicine in 1961. He then did a residency in obstetrics and gynecology. He went on to become a flight surgeon for the US Air Force in the 1960’s after being drafted, but he served outside Vietnam.
Paul ran for President once before; in 1988 he was the Libertarian Party’s nominee for President and received less than one-half of one percent of the overall vote. Despite being involved with the Libertarians, he has always maintained his membership in the Republican Party.
Abortion and Stem Cell Research
Paul is strongly pro-life. He favors the repeal of Roe v. Wade, the US Supreme Court ruling that made abortion legal. He sees abortion as a state issue. He sponsored the Sanctity of Life Act to remove abortion from federal jurisdiction. He voted in favor of banning partial birth abortions. He opposes stem cell research that involves the use of human embryos.
Foreign Policy
Paul is an isolationist. He voted against the Bush Administration’s invasion of Iraq because he doesn't believe the US should be involved in the affairs of other nations. He believes the US should withdraw from NATO and from the United Nations.
Education
Paul opposes federal involvement in education because education is not mentioned in the Constitution. He would close the US Department of Education and end federal education programs. He has supported the idea of tax credits from private school tuition. He also supports the idea of making a home school diploma the legal equivalent of a high school diploma.
Health Care
Paul is opposed to federal government involvement in the management of health care. He has voiced support for medical savings accounts in the past and has suggested abolishing Medicare.
Immigration
Paul also opposes amnesty for undocumented immigrants. He voted in favor of building a fence along the Mexican border.
Taxes and Social Security
Paul has promised never to raise taxes. He has been a long time advocate of the “Fair Tax” proposal, a law that would eliminate income tax and replace it with a 23% federal sales tax. He would reduce spending by abolishing many federal agencies. He advocates some form of return to the gold standard, a monetary policy under which all currency is redeemable for gold. Paul’s philosophy of government is that no law should be passed by Congress unless it is specifically authorized by the Constitution. The result is that he votes “no” on many issues that other GOP lawmakers support. Paul also advocates allowing individual workers to “opt out” of social security.
Gay Marriage
Paul is opposed to any federal regulation of marriage.
The Iraq War
Paul is the only GOP candidate to voice outright opposition to the War in Iraq. He has called the Iraq war “illegal” and says that he would bring American forces home if elected President. Paul voted against the war in Iraq.
Conclusion
Ron Paul is probably the most radical of the presidential candidates - at least in the two major parties. If elected, he would try to completely reshape many aspects of American government, profoundly alter the economy, and change America’s role in world affairs.
Paul has attracted support because of his opposition to the Iraq War and his support for the “Fair Tax.” While he lags far behind the leading candidates in fundraising, he used the Internet to stage the biggest single fundraising event in American political history in 2007, collecting over $4 million in a single day.
Ron Paul's Official Site: www.ronpaul2008.com/
